


A Piece of Cake

by Lovely_Mess



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Stardew Valley - Freeform, stardew valley fanfiction, stardew valley story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 02:30:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovely_Mess/pseuds/Lovely_Mess
Summary: When her bakery is run out by Joja, Vivienne receives an invitation to Stardew Valley from her cousin Sabrina. With her husband absent, Sabrina needs all the help she can get - even from a cousin she wasn't necessarily close with. Vivienne has her own losses, but nothing really to lose anymore.Having not been to Pelican Town since her cousins wedding, she must adapt to the idea of her family - and run into an unfortunate soul she had interactions with at the wedding party years ago.This story is based off my unfinished series, Purple Skies & Promises. But please don't feel like you have to read that in order to read this! Jump on in!





	1. The Funeral

With her back against a tree, Vivienne watched the funeral taking place in the distance. Below the grassy knoll was a group of people surrounding the casket containing the man she loved.

Within this group of people, was his beloved wife.

She was bawling her eyes out, oblivious to the fact that her husband's lover stood atop the hill above her. Vivienne felt her fingernails dig into her palms at the sight of the grieving woman, who was about ready to throw herself into the hole with the corpse.

From behind the sunglasses too big for her face, Vivienne rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t have come, she knew that. She should have stayed at work and made a thousand cupcakes like she was supposed too. Last week the news station gave off names of those shot down in the line of duty, making sure to mention their loving families who they would leave behind.

“Oh, you son of a bitch!” Vivienne had shouted when she saw the image of Grant and his family cross the screen. Blonde and skinny wife, two children who looked identical - all smiles. Vivienne threw her glass at the television, making the image blurry.

She didn’t want to resent the woman. It had been a year since she even saw Grant, who had made a spectacle at being sent across the ocean to fight a war he didn’t believe in. Vivienne had cried when he left her apartment, and that was when he promised he would come back. Had he made the same promises to his wife? He had winked at her, the same way he had when they had first met. Quickly, head cocking to the side as he did so. Laugh lines showing as he smirked at her. She remembered wishing there was a way she could keep him, fold him down and put him in her pocket. She always felt that way when he had to leave, but this time it was different. Perhaps her subconscious knew she wouldn’t see him again. The feeling was one she imagined wives felt when they sent their husbands off to war. What pained her now was that the feeling had already been felt by somebody else - and Vivienne would certainly go to hell for her unjustifiable (considering the man was now in the ground) jealousy.

The woman continued to watch, the funeral director saying kind words about the man about to go in the ground. Vivienne listened closely to what he said, trying to force herself to cry. Tried to force herself to feel any other emotion besides hatred. She wanted to think about anything other than the fact that karma had literally shot a bullet into this man for what he had done. Instead she stood for awhile, eyes darting from the coffin to the blonde woman who’s cries had become a scream - they were piercing Vivennes ears. She flinched. Maybe that’s why he cheated on her. Vivienne chuckled softly, shaking her head - the numb feeling in her stomach had lingered since morning. She looked towards the sky above her; sun shown through the leaves and she squinted trying to make out their shapes through the glare. Without looking back towards the spectacle before her, the woman turned to walk further up the hill towards her car.

Inside she discovered she had a missed call from her mother. Mouth in a fine line, she pressed the button to redial and held the phone to her ear. It was only a few rings. “Dear, I have such fabulous news!” The woman on the other end spoke too fast - way before Vivienne could get her two cents in. “Your cousin Sabrina is getting married!” She made a noise between a cheer and a giggle after her statement, and Vivienne had to hold the receiver away from her ear for a moment.

Sabrina? She thought of her little cousin for a moment, hadn’t not seen her in a couple of months. Maybe even a year? Not since before she had left for Stardew Valley, where their grandfather had grown up. He had left the farm to Sabrina, out of all his grandchildren. Not that Vivienne had wanted it, but Sabrina was the last person she expected to take up on that offer. She was such a quiet thing; always looked like she was nervous about something. Even as kids, she always fought about not wanting to go into the woods or jump in a stream. What Grandpa has seen in her, Vivienne would never know. Maybe Sabrina hadn't known at first either. It had been years since she’d been on the farm herself, when Grandpa had a family gathering after Grandma had passed away. All the cousins had been children then, and Sabrina hadn’t seemed to change since.

 _Who would want to marry her?_ Was what she wanted to say, but instead she forced a smile in hopes her mother could hear it.

“That’s great mom. Really great. You’ll have to tell me more about it later.” She apologized quickly for rushing, and hung up the phone, then frantically she threw it in the back seat.

She clutched the wheel after starting the car, but found the sudden tears in her eyes made it impossible to see the road ahead of her. She couldn't keep the scream in her throat from escaping.


	2. Wedding Cake

She stared into the mirror for a long time, unblinking as she examined her features. Her face was round, shoulder length hair of midnight blue, eyes about a million shades lighter than that. The waves in her hair gently kissed her cheeks, and the women pushed her her hair behind her ears. Then she smoothed out the bottom of her dress, a navy which hugged her slightly plump hourglass figure tightly.

Vivienne had been in the bathroom for awhile, finding these small ways to occupy herself. Looking in the mirror, reapplying blush to her pale cheeks. It felt like she had been in there for ages, when it had only been a matter of minutes before someone else had knocked on the door. 

Snapping back, Vivienne went back out into the bar; apologizing to her teenage cousin who looked like she was about to burst. The building was nearly empty, aside from the barkeep and another gentleman. She walked across the wooden floor to stand in the doorway leading outside. The sun had just set behind the trees, leaving enough light behind. Streams of lights that had been hung up we're now lit, providing a warm glow to everyone around them. 

The couple was dancing again, sounds of gentle violins allowing them to twirl in circles. Sabrina was always a very jeans and tee shirt from a thrift store kind of lady. Seeing her in the ivory tea dress was shocking. Her lavender hair was pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head, adorned with tiny spring flowers. Her husband, Harvey, grinned as he held her close. She looked up at him with adoring eyes. There was something special about it that left a lump in the back of Viviennes throat - she had done her best not to cry during the ceremony. It wasn't from happiness, it was from her own question of if she was fit to find someone she was worthy of. A pathetic thought, really. But one that must be thought by single people at most weddings. Her younger cousin had barely looked away from her companion since she stood at the foot of the isle. The spring afternoon seemed to encompass them only. 

“Thank you for the cake Viv!” Sabrina had spoken those words to her earlier, one of the only full sentences of the day. She had a lot of people to entertain. Her new husband had given his thanks to her too, lingering to ask her typical questions about the bakery she worked for, if she went to school to become a pastry chef, how long she had done it. Eventually someone else came along and she was able to politely excuse herself from the conversation to check on the simple three layer cake she had promised her cousin during the phone call to congratulate her on her engagement. She wasn't going to offer, but Sabrina had sounded timid on the phone about her planning process - Vivienne couldn't stand to hear her so clueless. 

As she watched the couple, her mind drifted to Grant momentarily. He had been an excellent dancer, always dragging her on the floor almost everywhere music played. Not once had she ever gotten dizzy. She shook her head to herself. It had been months since his funeral, but once in awhile she still found herself lost in a memory of him. To her he wasn't really gone, though she still felt a twinge between guilt and disgust when she thought about him. 

Turning, she walked towards the smiling mustachioed barkeep. “Have a seat miss.” He ran a cloth along the surface in front of him as a motion for her to sit. “What can I get for you?” 

“Bourbon.” She said flatly. The barkeep nodded. 

“Lovely day for a wedding.” The man commented as he placed a short glass on the bar and filled it with the golden brown liquid. “Your one of Sabrina's cousins, ain't ya? All of you running around just like when you were kids. Think your grandpa was trying to turn us into a city, huh?” He pushed the drink towards Vivienne, who graciously accepted and took a sip at once. The burn on her throat on the way to her stomach made her shut her eyes momentarily.

“Thanks.” She stated, returning a small smile. 

“Quiet girl.” The barkeep continued, “good match for the doctor - a surprise to all of use though when they got engaged.” 

There was a slamming sound at the end of the bar. The only other patron in attendance had slammed his mug down; Vivienne saw a scowl on his face when she turned to look at him. The dark haired man had finally lifted his head. Then he chuckled sarcastically. 

“Gus, obviously she got knocked up. That’s the only reason people get fucking married.” 

The barkeep crossed his arms and turned towards him. “Shane, you don’t know if that’s true. Also it’s impolite to curse in front of a lady. How many times do I have to tell you?” 

The other man, Shane, rolled his eyes. Then he looked dead at Vivienne, raising is nearly empty glass. “Sorry ma’am. Gus thinks people outside of the valley don’t say ‘fuck you’ to each other.” He then glared at the barkeep, who in turn held up his hands and excused himself to check outside. Shane made a face at the departing figure, and gulped what was left in the rest of his mug. 

He then proceeded to stand, grunting in his effort to jump behind the bar in order to refill his own glass. Vivienne watched the man with curiosity. She noticed his appearance. Though he had shown effort with pants and a dress shirt, a blue hoodie was zipped up over uneven buttons. It looked as if he had rolled out of bed to attend the event - even if he was inside drinking for most of the evening. “Which one are you?” He questioned. 

“Vivienne.” She responded, putting her glass to her lips once again. She pondered his statement from before about his cousin. “Is Sabrina really pregnant?” 

Shane shrugged, putting his glass down on the counter in order to roll up his sleeves. “That’s what my Aunt Marnie said, but she’s just about as nosey as the rest of them. What about you? No husband and brats by your side today?”

Vivienne scoffed, placing her glass down hard enough that a bit of liquid sloshed out. “As you can see,” she gestured around the empty room. “Clearly I don’t have any. Thank you for asking.”

The man only shrugged again, clearly not wishing to pry further. Looking past her, he finished half of his glass and preformed one of those jump over the bar moves again.

“Excuse me!” Vivienne turned on the stool, waiting for him to turn back to face her. When he didn’t she raised her voice again as he entered the doorway. “Where are you going?”

He turned halfway, glaring at her, probably in hopes to intimidate her. Vivienne saw through it, now standing and crossing her arms. “Is that any of your business?” He shot at her. 

Viviennes mouth dropped a little bit. It took her a moment to come up with something to say.

“Well, considering you just pried into my life a little bit - I - I suppose it is!”  One of the first people all day to not want to brag about Sabrina, and they were already leaving into the twilight that was now settling outside the building. 

Shane reached up and rubbed his forehead with both hands. “Alright.” He mumbled, waving his hand to motion her over. “Let’s take a walk.”

Vivienne was hesitant at his motion, and he apparently saw this, as he turned and exited the building.

“Wait!” She shouted after him, drowning the last of her drink and leaping off the stool. “Goddammit, wait up!” 

 

~

Sneaking away from the party had been easy. Vivienne walked directly next to Shane, hoping it wasn’t impolite of her to grab his arm in order to stay hidden from her family. Upon peaking around him, it was clear everyone was still focused on the glorious occasion at hand, and not the one of ten cousins sneaking away with a stranger. 

“Sorry.” She apologized quickly as she let go of his arm. They were out of site now from the square, by some houses on a path which led to a wooded area. She paused momentarily to slip of her heels as Shane grunted his response towards her. The cool grass felt good on her aching feet, soft breeze from the trees hitting her face. It had been a long time since she felt this feeling, she could always recall as a child the way it felt when the sun set. Everything in Pelican Town and the surrounding area seemed to calm down, unlike her town or the city which seemed to want to go all night.

Their pace slowed as Shane searched his pockets, producing a flask, which he opened and handed towards Vivienne. The woman was less than hesitant, grabbing a taking a swig, coughing almost at once at the burn in her throat. She shook her head at an attempt to get rid of the feeling that rushed too it. “Ugh, to eternal happiness! Pff!” She took another swig, which was admittedly much better than the first and handed it back to the mans waiting hand. She thought she was dreaming when she saw he actually smirked. 

“Exactly.” he agreed, holding the flask in the air momentarily before putting it to his lips. He held it there a little longer than Vivienne had before screwing the lid back on. “At least the cake was good.” he commented, and Vivienne instantly lit up, stopping in her tracks to cross her arms. After a few paces the man stopped and turned to see if she was still behind him.

“I made that cake!” She said, matter of fact, liquor having given her enough courage to sound obnoxious. She thought about what a pain in the butt it had been to bring that out to the valley with her - the fear it was going to fly all over her car had made he drive so slow she was almost late this morning. 

“Anyone can make a cake.” Shane huffed, as if to dismiss his last comment. 

He continued on, and Vivienne jogged slightly to catch up with him. “I went to school for that, you know.” 

“I didn’t need to know.” Shane said, reaching for the flash again. “Didn’t care, is more like it.” He finally stopped walking, which caused Vivienne to stop. She was going to question why he was being so rude when he had clearly enjoyed the cake, but the view distracted her. In front of them was a tiny lake, surrounded by the forest. Vivienne admired the sight, water reflecting the purples and oranges of the sky. She instantly took the flash that was held out to her again. It wasn’t often she saw sights like this. Mostly in movies or television shows, secluded areas like the cabin Grant had taken her too when they first started seeing each other. 

A nudge on her shoulder snapped her back to reality, and she quickly handed the flask back to her new companion. “Sorry.” She apologized quickly. They stood in silence for some time, passing the flask between them; eventually with small talk about their lives. Vivienne did most of the talking, though she could claim alcohol. She hadn’t told anyone about what had happened with Grant, and while she didn’t give away all the information to the person she had just met, it felt good to talk about it. 

“What an asshole.” was all Shane had said on the matter, a little distant sounding. He told her few things about this life; how he was from the city, how he lived in town with his god-daughter and worked for the god-awful Joja Mart. Tiny details.

“People suck.” he eventually said. Vivienne couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Yeah, I guess they do.” She turned to face him, surprised when he did the same. 

“I’m just glad someone agrees with me finally.” He shoved the now empty flask back in his pocket, free hand grabbing Vivienne by the arm as she swayed slightly. 

“Oh, I’m alright. It’s a wedding, after all.” However, she didn’t moved away from his grasp, only looked up at him and continued to giggle. Mostly because he was staring at her, and she thought it would be too impolite to look away. And when he kissed her, she assumed it would be too impolite to pull away. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. The warmth between them was a welcome feeling, even though he tasted like a mix of beer and cheap liquor. That’s what was feeding her desires at the moment, the liquor. Mixed with a lightheaded feeling, her head began to spin. To make up for this she pushed her body up against Shane, trying to determine if she should focus her attention on the kissing or his hands roaming further down her body. There was a pulse of excitement in her - the alcohols doing? The thoughts rushed into her head, what they could possibly do - and it seemed the most inappropriate time for her stomach to lurch. 

As much as she wanted to focus on the task at hand and wherever it was going, she found herself pulling away. 

“Excuse me.” Vivienne stated so she could turn and be sick on the patch of grass next to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read! Next chapter soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to ready my work. Please feel free to leave your comments and kudos below.


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